"I'm telling you: you need to act on these feelings dude." Danny had sought out Tucker's advice after learning about the whole Gregor/Elliot thing. He'd felt both happy and upset at hearing that Sam had dumped the poser; upset she had been used and happy because, well, he didn't know.
Thus the reason for seeking help from Tucker.
Well, okay, so maybe Danny did know why he felt happy, but that was strictly out of bounds. You can't date your best friend! What if he messed up? What if it ended badly? Their friendship would never fully recover and things would get awkward really quick. On the other end of the scale, what if everything went right? What could that mean for the future? What if he…fell in love?
Danny had gained feelings for Sam at the beginning of freshman year, but he'd stomped them down and ignored them. He had been sure it was a passing crush; a fleeting moment driven by hormones. But as more time passed and The Accident happened and all those adventures, he found the feelings growing stronger with every second he was with her. Or saw her. Or now, even when he heard about her.
"No way Tuck. I can't do that!" Danny protested, shaking his head of any ideas.
"Why?" Exasperated, Tucker didn't know what to do. He already knew Danny wouldn't be turned down, since it was obvious to everyone but Mr. Clueless and Ms. Denial that they held each other near in their hearts, but he couldn't seem to get the message across. Heck, Sam had even admitted a month ago she believed she was falling in love yet she refuses to do anything about it!
"First, that could totally ruin our friendship," Danny listed. Somehow, Tucker knew he would hear that. "Second, I don't want her to think I'm catching her off the rebound." Danny flopped back on his bed and gave a frustrated sigh. He wanted to tell Sam, but at the same time he never wanted her to know. He felt unworthy of being named a hero. He was a coward, even if he kept the secret for a possible greater good.
He loved Tucker like a brother, but he needed Sam. She could always pick up on the little things and always knew how to help. She was there for him when his parents weren't, whether it be for his grades, his birthday, or his health. She'd stood up for him all those years and months ago and is always the first to congratulate him on a job well done for everything. She was his sanity, something he could never live without.
Tucker swirled around in the desk chair wondering how to get Danny to understand what was at stake: their happiness. By the time Danny would be convinced, it wouldn't be classified as a rebound anyway. But how can he make Danny see how serious this really was? Sam was a stubborn one, and she'd lock her 'Danny feelings' away and 'move on' eventually. What is the ultimate thing that would push the halfa over the edge?
And then it hit him.
"Hey Danny? Would you be okay with my kids calling you 'Uncle Danny?'" The gears were spinning as he tried hard not to laugh. Danny was clueless for a reason, so this may sound completely random even though it had everything to do with what was going on.
"Well ya, of course Tuck. Same goes for mine and you," Danny answered, head tilting a bit to the left as he tried to follow Tucker's line of thoughts.
"And you'll be my best man at my wedding, right? Standing right there with me on the alter?"
"Absolutely man! We're best friends Tuck."
"Right, best friends. Now I want you to think about what I'm going to say. Don't answer, just think," Tucker warned. After Danny nodded in agreement he continued. "Sam's your best friend too, only in a different sense of the word. Do you really want her kids, if she ever has any, to call you Uncle? Or yours call her Aunt? If Sam ever gets married, do you really want to just be part of the wedding party? And watch as she's given away to some guy that isn't you?
"Dude, you were having a hard time dealing with Gregor and this is only high school. You two didn't talk for three days because you got nosey. What would happen if you did that to her steady boyfriend? Her fiancé? Her husband?
"She still thinks you've got a thing for Paulina, and she hates her. Let's just say you stay with Paulina. Do you really think she'll act any differently towards Sam, or Sam's kids, in the future? You won't see Sam as much as you could because she'll be avoiding Paulina like the plague man.
"And when you were dating Valerie you couldn't see the effect it had on Sam, but I did. Heck, even the teachers did! She didn't speak out, she hardly got in any cat fights, and she lost her appetite. At first I was shocked and confused, but you know what I realized? She couldn't feel you there behind her to protect her if someone took things a little too far. She lost herself because she believed she lost you.
"You need to talk to Sam, Danny. There's a reason the whole town calls you lovebirds. Man up dude!" Tucker finished. He may have been a little harsh. He probably could have left some things out, like the Paulina thing, but what's done is done and Tucker was reaching his breaking point. Besides, he's not only like a brother to Danny but to Sam too. As such he's got to look out for her when it comes to guys. Since there's no way they would ever date, it's up to big brother Tuck to warn the flirts and users. He'd been led astray by Elliot, but that wasn't going to happen again.
Danny hadn't moved and even after the rant he remained motionless. He hadn't thought about that, any of that. Sam was his best friend but he did treat her differently than Tuck and not just because she's a girl. And the idea that he be called Uncle by her kids made him sick to his stomach. He didn't want that. And calling her Auntie Sam to his kids? It felt bitter on his tongue.
He didn't want some other guy coming in and taking Sam away from him. He hated the idea of some other guy making her happy and protecting her. He wanted that special smile she'd give to her lover reserved for him, that magnificent laugh caused by him, those heated moments his alone. Having some other guy come and steal those would tear him apart. Tucker's right, he didn't trust Gregor when Sam asked him to and that resulted in the worst three days of his life. It didn't matter if he was right. If he happened to do that to her husband she'd never forgive him.
He didn't like Paulina anymore, but if he did end up with someone jealous about his close relationship with Sam, he could see her choosing to avoid contact. She'd think it hard on his wife and eventually they'd lost touch. He didn't want that! He never wanted that!
Had he really affected Sam that much? He'd been so busy trying to figure out if his feelings for Valerie were overriding the feelings for Sam that he had hardly seen his friends the week he dated her. To know that Sam lost all that fire, all that spirit, all that everything that made her Sam because of him…"Wow," was all Danny could say as it sunk in.
Tucker sighed. It seems Danny was seeing his point. "So?"
Danny sat up and stared at Tuck. Silent words were exchanged and eventually his stoic features turned into a shimmer and grin. Without saying anything, he summoned the white ring that spilt in two and phased through his wall. He needed to talk to Sam right now.
Tucker smiled at Danny's fading form. It seems he finally caught a clue. Sure there had already been major changes, but this was big. What major changes? Well, just this afternoon at the Nasty Burger Val walked by and waved at Danny. Yet instead of mopping around like he had last year, complaining about why he wasn't with her, he smiled and barely gave her the time of day before returning his full attention to Sam and their conversation. Without even knowing it, he'd put Sam first. He'd smiled just a little wider when she smiled back. He sighed just a little too deep when he'd hugged her goodbye.
As Danny raced through the air his nerves grew more and more haywire. He was ecstatic at his realization, his silent words with Tucker, yet he was also extremely nervous. What if she rejected him? What if he said something wrong and ruined everything? With Sam's mansion finally coming into view he breathed a calming breath and knocked on her window.
Knock knock knock.
It seemed to echo throughout his head and time seemed to stand still as he impatiently waited for her to call out or open the drapes or anything. Ya, it's been four days since the Gregor/Elliot thing, but he would assure her somehow, some way, that she wasn't just easy to pick up. She was everything and he wanted her to know she deserved a gold pedestal and not a silver one.
After what felt like ages Sam called for Danny to enter. He phased through before switching back to Fenton. He wanted Fenton to tell her, not Phantom. Fenton had fallen for Sam long before Phantom even existed and he wanted her to see in his blue eyes how he felt. He wanted her to link his care and this passion to Fenton.
"Hey Danny, what's up?" Sam's homework was spread on top of her bed and a few candles were lit to provide the Gothic sense she felt most comfortable in. Wearing her normal clothes, all but the boots, she looked as beautiful as always leaning against her bed post. In fact, the only time Danny has ever seen her look more magnificent was when she had no makeup on. He'd always thought that, and it was one of the few compliments he willingly and eagerly shared with her.
"We need to talk," Danny stated, wanting to get straight to the point. If he beat around the bush he'd chicken out. Walking towards Sam he stopped short just in front of her widened eyes. He heard her breath hitch and swore he saw her pinch herself, but he was captured in her amethyst eyes. He wanted to hold her, but he didn't want to move too fast so instead he grabbed her hand and phased them down to her home theater. He knew her parents were out for the next couple nights and had even planned on inviting her to stay with his family, so he had no worries with using free range of his powers.
Guiding her over to the sofa stationed before the large screen he sat her close to him. So close she was practically sitting on his lap. He leaned his forehead against hers and slightly reveled at the fact he wasn't blushing like she.
"What do you, um, what do you want to t-talk about?" Sam questioned, nervous as to his behavior. She couldn't afford to hope but she really, really wanted to. She liked the way his arms held her and the feeling of bliss that came from his forehead resting with hers. Allowing herself to close her eyes, she took a deep breath and prepared herself for the let down she was sure to come.
"I had the most interesting conversation with Tucker earlier. We talked about weddings," Danny said.
Sam scrunched her eyebrows, refusing to open her eyes yet, and jokingly asked, "Should that worry me?"
Danny chuckled but chose to ignore the rhetorical question and continued on. "We talked about how we'd be each other's best man's and Uncle's to our kids."
"Okay…" Lost didn't even begin to describe the state of Sam's mind. Where was he going with this? What was so important he had to talk to her about it?
"And he told me, because he's Tuck, that if I didn't make a move soon I'd be Uncle Danny to your kids and you'd be Auntie Sam to mine." Danny choked on the 'Auntie Sam' name. It felt sour on his tongue and he shivered at the thought of having to call her that continually one day.
Sam had tensed considerably. Was he about to say he liked that idea? Was he excited for that to happen? Uncle Danny? Ew, no, she couldn't even fathom the idea of her children, if she chose to have them one day, calling her first love Uncle. Uncle was reserved for Tuck, but Danny? Sam didn't like that idea at all. She began to shake subtly. She needed to cry and scream and punch something, but as long as Danny was here she'd have to hold back. Hurry up and break my heart already, she thought.
After the long stretch of silence, which Danny deemed necessary in order to observe Sam's reaction, he confessed, "I have to be honest with you. I hated that idea."
Sam's eyes snapped open to stare straight into Danny's awaiting gaze. She saw love. Raw, powerful, passionate love all directed right at her whereas Danny saw hope, confusion, and fear in her orbs. "Wha—?" Sam breathed.
"He goes on to tell me that if I don't make a move then I would have to suffer through watching some other guy make you happy. I'd have to yield to let some other guy protect you. I'd have to step back and let some other guy hold you, kiss you, love you. The idea that one day we wouldn't be as close as we are now, and never closer, almost killed me. I don't want that Sam."
Taking a shaky breath Sam asked, "What are you trying to say? What do you want Danny?" A whisper would have been louder than her, but she knew he heard it. He had super enhanced hearing after all.
"I guess, what I'm trying to say is, I hated the idea of having a future without being able to wake up and see the most perfect pair of amethyst eyes looking back at me. I…I want…you." Reaching up to cup her cheek he put as much emotion behind the words as he dared release. He knew she might say something about being an independent woman who doesn't belong to anyone. He knew she could reject him. Basically, he knew that what came next all came down to her response and he wanted to make sure he heard her words. He wanted to watch her eyes, the windows into her soul as she said them.
One problem though: Sam was having a minor panic attack. Did he really just say that? Why would he want her of all people? What about Paulina? What about Valerie? Did he mean it? Is he serious? She momentarily forgot to breath and her brain froze. She couldn't remember how to form a coherent sentence, let alone words. She wanted to scream yes, yet she didn't want to come across as desperate.
After a full minute of silence Danny began to worry. Her eyes were racing yet he hadn't felt her breathing tickle his chin in a while. Concern filled his baby blue eyes as he brought both hands up to hold her head still. "Sam, are you okay? Sam, you have to breath. Sam? Sam!"
She gasped for air and blinked about a hundred times. Without thinking, because her mind was still miles behind, Sam attacked his lips with hers. She'd waited long enough and some part of her promised it would be okay. And though he didn't kiss back for about ten seconds, she figured it was from shock because as soon as second eleven ticked she was no longer the kisser but the kissee.
Danny was thrilled that she obviously accepted him and seemed pretty eager to start the relationship. He took control of the kiss as soon as he realized what was happening. He wanted to show her, not just tell her, how much he wanted; how much he needed her. He also wanted to show her what she'd be getting when she stuck around.
The kiss was the best either had ever had. It had nothing on their fake-out-make-outs and Sam, for one, was happily surprised at how good of a kisser Danny was. She'd have to drink more water to keep her lips from getting chapped and keep them plush, or they might get bruised and then Danny would feel bad. As a result, he'd probably let up on the kissing and that was the exact opposite of what she wanted.
No, what she wanted was to keep those baby blue eyes all to herself and that lop-sided grin as her own. She wanted to walk down the aisle and have the man of her dreams lift her veil one day. She wanted to give birth to his kids, because he always wanted kids. She wanted him to be hers and she to be his. Pulling away from the kiss to give her tongue a break Sam teased, "Speaking of marriage, you should be careful. That kind of sounded like a proposal."
She'd meant it as a joke, a flirty tease, but the light in his eyes changed and a bit of green energy leaked through. He titled his head to the left in the cutest, most innocent way she'd ever seen and said, "You know what, that's not a bad idea. Call it a pre-proposal."
Sam's eyes widened to comical sizes. "Are you being serious?" Her heart was constricting and goose bumps had risen over her arms.
Danny thought it over one more time, but he didn't really need to. "Yes. I know it sounds weird since we haven't actually dated at all and we're only sophomores in high school, but we need to be honest with each other. I was talking about weddings, Sam." He let his words sink in before adding, "You're my best friend Sam. I need you to be able to survive and to be happy. I don't plan on ever walking away from this."
Whoa. Just whoa.
Taking a small leap of faith Sam cautiously asked, "Do you…um, love me too?"
Without hesitation, Danny smiled and said, "Samantha Manson, I love you to—wait. Too?"
Sam rolled her eyes and giggled as she whispered against his lips, "Clueless," before deepening their first real kiss into their second real kiss. He gladly responded, and after a few hours of making out, they fell asleep in each other's arms.
"Sammy Fenton," Danny tried out as the first signs of sleep swept through his eyes. He liked that. "Mrs. Samantha Fenton." He really liked that. "Sam Fenton." Just like the girl, he loved that.